On Tuesday January 22, 2013 needy members of the Reno-Sparks community enjoyed a healthy meal provided by members of the Safari Club International, the SCI Northern Nevada Chapter, the Salvation Army and local area businesses.

The meal, which was provided at the Reno Event Center, included buffalo meatloaf, salad, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and cake. “Without the support of multiple sponsors, this event wouldn’t be possible”, said Major Michael Zielinski of the local Salvation Army. “We expect to feed somewhere between 1700 and 1800 local needy people tonight. This is a great outreach into the community”.

Buffalo, game and other processed meat was donated by the Northern Nevada and North American Handgun Chapters of the SCI. The Redding, California Chapter also had their Sensory Safari display on hand for attendees to learn more about wildlife and nature in general.

Safari Club International – First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call 520-620-1220 for more information.

Before an audience of more than 200 international conservationists, the Honorable Minister of Tourism and Arts Sylvia Masebo of Zambia outlined her country’s vision for sustainable-use conservation at the Safari Club International (SCI) meeting in Reno, Nev. Over the past two days, the Honorable Minister Masebo has met with the leaders in lion conservation, the leaders in big game conservation, and ardent hunter-conservationists in order to better understand the symbiotic relationship between rural communities in Zambia and the wildlife dynamics.

The audience of conservationists recognized the true dedication the Honorable Minister Masebo has made to ensure that wildlife and conservation will remain a priority for the Zambian government. The Minister also noted that the hunting community, the hunters themselves, will be the most dedicated of conservationists in helping to fund the most accurate population surveys for the country’s big game species. The Minister has also called for continued interactions between the hunting community and the anti-poaching rangers to improve enforcement throughout the many national parks and game reserves in Zambia.

“Safari Club International is incredibly appreciative of Minister Masebo taking the long journey to Reno, Nev., to address the conservation focused hunters of our organization,” said SCI President John Whipple. “Her commitment to work collaboratively with SCI and the entire hunter-conservationist community is truly welcome, and SCI’s members are today committing hundreds of thousands of dollars to conduct the necessary scientific research that is needed for Zambia’s big game species.”

The Honorable Minister of Tourism and Arts Sylvia Masebo concluded her remarks to the members of SCI with a standing ovation from all in attendance at the Annual Hunters’ Convention.

Contact: Nelson Freeman – media@safariclub.org

Safari Club International – First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call 520-620-1220 for more information.

Hunter’s Specialties® popular SUV turkey vest and other camo accessories are now available in Mossy Oak® patterns just in time for spring turkey season. The SUV vest comes in Obsession and features padded straps and lots of pockets for storing turkey calls and gear. It has two outside pan call pockets and additional pockets for a box call and gobble call. It has a padded drop-down triangle seat that is held in place with a strong quiet magnet for quick deployment. The SUV vest also features the gun stock buddy, which supports the butt of the hunter’s shotgun, leaving the hands free for calling. A pull out orange flag alerts other hunters to your presence when walking in the woods.

Other accessories include head nets, face masks and gloves, all available in either Mossy Oak® Obsession® or the new Break-Up® Infinity™ pattern. Camo leaf blind and burlap material and gun and bow tape are also available in Break-Up Infinity. The 12′x27″ Collapsible Super Light Portable Ground Blind, which sets up quickly to provide added concealment is available in Break-Up Infinity.

For more information about other Hunter’s Specialties products, log onto the Hunter’s Specialties website at www.hunterspec.com, write to 6000 Huntington Court NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402, or call a Consumer Service Specialist at 319-395-0321.

New in Browning®’s diverse line of outdoor apparel for the avid sportsman is the new Dirty Bird™ Waterfowl line that is the most effective, ergonomic and comfortable clothing yet. The new line of clothing includes insulated models with Browning’ Pre-Vent® waterproof, breathable fabric shell for colder days in the field as well as models with Browning’s Vari-Tech™ Temperature and Motion design that are more adaptable when the weather looks better in the marsh. All insulated models in the Dirty Bird line will feature PrimaLoft® Synergy Insulation that is soft, lightweight, quick-drying and provides excellent insulating properties, even when wet.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is proposing changes to waterfowl hunting zones that would mark the first adjustment to Indiana’s traditional three-zone boundaries in more than 25 years.

The DNR’s proposal for the 2012 hunting seasons would stick with three zones but rename them North, Central and South, with the South Zone representing a significant geographic expansion and replacement for the current Ohio River Zone.

DNR surveys show two out of three Indiana resident waterfowl hunters express satisfaction with the current zone lines, but only one-third of those surveyed are satisfied with season timing.

“The point of zones is to be able to better target duck seasons when ducks are migrating,” said DNR waterfowl biologist Adam Phelps. “Changing zone lines may enable us to better address hunter preferences by better relating duck migration, and therefore season timing, to the geography of the state.”

The Ohio River Zone was first established in 1984 and covered parts of 13 counties along the Ohio River. The proposed South Zone boundary extends as far north as Terre Haute and would include all or parts of 29 counties and take in such DNR-managed properties as Fairbanks Landing, Glendale, Sugar Ridge and Wabashiki Fish & Wildlife Areas, plus Hardy Lake and Patoka Lake.

The proposed South Zone boundary follows a line along U.S. 40 from the Illinois border to U.S. 41, south to Indiana 58, and east to U.S. 50 to the Ohio border.

The proposed North Zone boundary is essentially unchanged with the exception of moving Roush Fish & Wildlife Area into the North. The Central Zone would be the area between the North and South zones.

Phelps said the current North Zone, which was last adjusted in 1986, represents a geographic split by segregating the natural lakes and wetlands part of the state into its own zone.

“But the rivers of southern Indiana have largely been relegated to Central Zone for the past two decades,” he said. “Changing zone lines in southern Indiana will allow us to capture another fundamental geographic split by bunching the lower Wabash River as well as much of the White and Muscatatuck rivers with the Ohio River in the southernmost zone.”

The new zones were derived by looking not only at geography but also at climate patterns and, most importantly, waterfowl usage.

“We survey state and federal properties weekly from August through January, and we have those data back to the mid-1980s,” Phelps said. This long-term waterfowl migration data set was very important in helping to choose the new zone boundaries.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife (USFWS) allows states to propose zone line changes every five years. The USFWS approved Indiana’s current setup of three geographic zones – North, South and Ohio River – and two split-date segments in 1991.

Until this year, the USFWS limited changes to two hunting zones with two split-date segments or three zones with no split dates. States now are being allowed to adjust boundary lines without sacrificing the number of zones or the option of split-date segments.